Oil burner



July 19, 1955 A. L. BRUNSON OIL. BURNER Filed June 12, 1951 IN VEN TOR 4413mm LlfiPuNsoN OIL BURNER Arley L. Bronson, Elwood, Ind.

Application June 12, 1951, Serial No. 231,179

1 Claim. (Cl. I58--91) This invention relates to an oil burner f the type which may be used in space heating units such as stoves, furnaces, and the like, wherein there is introduced not only fuel oil but also water along with that oil. A primary purpose or the invention is to provide an exceedingly simple structure in the absence of blowers, and fans and pressure units, whereby oil and water may be fed simultaneously into a combustion chamber to pro duce combustion of the oil over a convex surface rather than burning the oil in a pot, or from a jet or nozzle.

These and other important objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those versed in the art in the following description of one particular form of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which the single view is a vertical section through a heating unit embodying the invention.

As above indicated, the invention may be employed in room heating stoves not only as original equipment but also as a unit to be operated within the usual coal burning combustion chamber. In the form of the invention herein shown, the unit is applied to a furnace having the usual combustion chamber drum 1G with a firebowl 11, herein shown as being defined by an annular ring of fire bricks 12, and a central grate 1.3. On the grate 13 there is placed a pan 14 having a convex floor E5, and a tube or column 16 rising centrally and vertically from the floor 15. This column 16 opens through the floor 15.

An adapter ring l7, herein shown as an inverted frusto-conical apron is provided to fit by its lower end closely around the side walls of the pan 14, and to slope upwardly and over the tops of the fire bricks 12 so as to effectively block off any air passage between the pan 14 and the bricks 12, upwardly through the grate 13. In this manner, all upward flow of air from the normal ash pit 18 is confined to How through the column 16.

On the top end of the column 16, there is mounted a member wherein the essential feature is to have a convex-top surface 19. In the form herein shown, this surface 19 is spherical and is part of a ball 2i). The ball 2% is provided with a plurality of holes 21 therethrough, extending through the lower half only of the ball 26, the upper limit being at the horizontal diametrical plane through the ball.

A pipe 22 is fixed to the side wall of the drum to extend radially inwardly therefrom to terminate in a spaced relation above the surface 19. Preferably the inner end 23 is spaced radially from the vertical axis of the drum 10. A pipe 24 is fitted to slide through the pipe 22 to have an outer end 25 extend beyond the end 23 of the pipe 22, and this pipe 24 has a length which will permit it to be adjusted axially of the pipe 22 from the outside of the drum 10. On the outer end of the pipe 24, there is a cup 26 into which feeds an oil line 27 and a water supply line 28.

To operate the device, oil is initially flowed through the pipe 27 to run down over the convex surface 19 and fall into the pan 14. Covering the floor 15 is a layer of non-combustible material, such as a paper of asbestos nited btates Patent 0 ice 29, the essential characteristic of this paper being that it will be oil absorbent and also will be non-combustible. When there has been some oil run onto this paper 29, it is ignited to initiate the combustion of the oil. The burning of the oil in the pan 14 serves to heat the surface 19, and then the oil is allowed to flow through the pipe 27 at that rate whereby it will drip rather than how from the pipe end 25 so as to fall by drops onto this surface 19. Simultaneously, water is allowed to flow through the pipe 28 to drip from the end 25 also onto this surface 19. Air blowing outwardly from the holes 21 tends to carry the oil upwardly, particularly when it starts to burn, so that the combustion is maintained around over the part of the surface 19 above the holes 21 and thereabove, but the extreme top part of the surface 19 will not support combustion since that is a cool spot maintained by the dripping of the oil thereon, and also by the dripping of the water simultaneously thereon. Now as the water tends to flow around the convex surface 19, it will also flow the oil outwardly and upon reaching the hotter area of the surface 19 the water will tend to be vaporized, and this vaporization also aids in the vaporization of the oil tending to cause the oil to fiy out into space where it is burned along with the updraft of the air around the surface 19.

The result is that combustion is supported not only around the diametrical portion of the ball 20, but out in space so that the oil particles are thoroughly surrounded by air as Well as by the water vapor, to promote the combustion to the end that there is a clean burning of the oil without deposit of soot and carbon. The pipe 24 will not at any time be completely filled as to its cross sectional area by either water or oil, but the water drops will be interspersed between oil drops, and the combination will fiow to the end of the pipe 24 and drop onto the surface i9 as has been indicated. The diameter of the ball 2b, that is the extent of the convex surface 15 will depend upon the size of the stove or furnace, in accordance with the heat requirements.

Therefore, while 1 have herein shown and described my invention in the one particular form, it is obvious that structural variations may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I therefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitations which may be imposed by the following claim.

I claim:

An oil burner comprising a fire pot having a floor with an annular oil collecting depression therearound, and said floor having a central opening therethrough; a tubular column extending upwardly from said floor axially of said opening providing an air flow column from the under side of the floor; a hollow spherical cap across the top of said column, into which cap said column opens for full flow of said air therein; said cap having air discharge openings therethrough confined to that area thereof below a central horizontal plane therethrough; and oil and water conduit means leading to a discharge end spaced centrally above said cap for dripping of oil and water thereon, the convex surface of the cap causing the oil and water to be dispersed under influence of gravity from the upper central zone of the cap to flow downwardly and outwardly toward said air discharge openings in the cap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 883,373 Akeson Mar. 31, 1908 904,063 Harleman Nov. 17, 1908 2,136,317 Rialdini Nov. 8, 1938 2,482,215 Russell Sept. 20, 1949 

